# Maria Goeppert-Mayer: A Trailblazer in Nuclear Physics

## Early Life and Education

Maria Goeppert-Mayer was born on June 28, 1906, in Kattowitz, then in the Kingdom of Prussia, now Katowice, Poland. She was the only child of Friedrich Goeppert, a sixth-generation university professor, and his wife, Maria née Wolff, who was also highly educated. In 1910, her family moved to Göttingen when her father was appointed as the professor of pediatrics at the University of Göttingen.

Maria received a comprehensive education from an early age, which sparked her interest in physics. She attended the University of Göttingen, and in 1930, she completed her Ph.D. in physics with a thesis on the theory of possible absorption of two quanta. Her work was supervised by Max Born, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who recognized her potential early on.

## Academic and Research Career

After obtaining her Ph.D., Maria Goeppert married American chemical physicist Joseph Edward Mayer and moved to the United States, where her academic and scientific career would flourish despite initial setbacks due to nepotism rules that prevented her from gaining faculty positions at her husband’s workplaces.

Nonetheless, she carried out unpaid research at Johns Hopkins University and later at Columbia University during World War II, where she was involved in the Manhattan Project. Her work during this period focused on the properties of uranium isotopes and the development of the separation process for uranium enrichment.

## Groundbreaking Work: The Nuclear Shell Model

In the early 1940s, Maria Goeppert-Mayer began developing the nuclear shell model of atomic nuclei, for which she would eventually be recognized with the Nobel Prize. Her model proposed that nucleons (protons and neutrons) exist in different energy shells within the nucleus, similar to the arrangement of electrons in atomic orbitals. She suggested that nuclei with full outer shells would exhibit special stability, much like the noble gases in the periodic table with their full electron shells. This idea was revolutionary and provided a comprehensive explanation for the periodicity seen in the properties of atomic isotopes.

In collaboration with physicist Hans Jensen and other colleagues, she expanded on her model, which explained many features of nuclear structure and reactions. Her work was critical in advancing the understanding of nuclear physics.

## Nobel Prize and Legacy

In 1963, Maria Goeppert-Mayer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, becoming the first woman to win this prestigious award in her field—her country of residence being the United States by this time. She shared the prize with J. Hans D. Jensen and Eugene Paul Wigner, who were recognized for their contributions to the understanding of nuclear structure and fundamental particles.

Maria Goeppert-Mayer's work not only broke barriers for women in sciences but also laid foundational knowledge for future research in nuclear physics and related fields. Despite the challenges she faced, she remains a seminal figure in the scientific community, inspiring generations of physicists.

## Later Years and Death

After winning the Nobel Prize, Maria Goeppert-Mayer continued to teach and research, primarily at the University of California, San Diego. She passed away on February 20, 1972, in San Diego, California. Her legacy lives on through numerous scholarships and awards established in her name, aimed at encouraging women to pursue careers in science.

The life and work of Maria Goeppert-Mayer mark significant milestones in the history of physical sciences. Her contributions continue to influence the fields of nuclear and particle physics and serve as a powerful example of overcoming adversity to contribute profoundly to human knowledge.